The Secret Garden Sequel
by kkluvz2write
Summary: A sequel to The Secret Garden, more-so based off of the movie.
1. Intro

**Mary's POV:**

It has been five years since I've come to live at the Misselthwaite Manor with my Uncle Lord Craven, cousin Sir Colin Craven, servant and friend Martha Sowerby, her brother Dickon Sowerby, the gardener Ben Weatherstaff, our newest laborer Johnathan Smith, and the returning Mrs. Medlock. I have been receiving an excellent education and have been spending much time in the Secret Garden, which is no longer a secret anymore. Though Colin commanded that Mrs. Medlock was to go nowhere near the garden, to which at first she strongly objected to but quickly realized she would have no choice. On a lighter note, my Uncle has been home more now than ever since Colin was born. He has been teaching Colin his trade and has been taking him on business trips and such. Dickon and I have been spending a grand amount of time around each other; he's a man now, seventeen years old with his entire life ahead of him yet he insists to remain here. His sister Martha is now more than just a servant working in the manor, she is one of my dear friends. She often teases me about her brother, saying how fond of me he is and that he can't stop talking about me. It's rather embarrassing, I've never had a boy (or man rather, or either if at that;) be so fond of me. Colin has proved to be rather jealous and often spends all his spare time with us, which doesn't bother me entirely. He keeps telling me that he intends to marry me, but I'm not too fond of the idea, even if everyone else is; all except for Dickon but whenever I ask he says he doesn't mind it so long as I'm happy. My heart seems lighter when I'm with Dickon, but I do love my cousin even when he acts like a spoiled child. I was the same, cold towards others, spoiled rotten, and very selfish. Whenever I think back to the days I spent in India alone, I often find myself crying; something I wasn't used to yet. Mother and father loved me, even if they didn't know it, I'm sure of it. But this is my home now and I intend to cherish every moment I spend here.


	2. Chapter 1: Return to the Secret Garden

**Mary's POV: **

Spring was over and summer was upon us, my Uncle was to leave on a rather long business trip in a few days and wanted to come with us to the garden. Thus I fetched the key, unlocked the door and we stepped in. Though this heat was nothing like India, it still proved hot for the others that were used to the chilly weather here. Dickon was wearing a sleeveless shirt with a pair of loose fitting pants and his gardening shoes. Colin was wearing a rather nice white button-downed shirt, a pair of simple pants and black boots. My Uncle was no longer wearing black, but instead a forest green vest with matching pants and black boots. His hair was trimmed and tamed, his face was clean shaven, all save his moustache and side-burns. He looked so much more cheerful and so full of life.

"Shall we have our afternoon tea here?" He asked as we all agreed, he sent Ben to fetch Martha as we looked all around us finding various animals, insects, and plants.

"It smells lovely." I walked over towards the gardenias and inhaled their heavenly scent as Dickon wandered off for a moment; Colin came up to me and placed a red rose in my hair.

"I know I shouldn't have cut it, but I thought it would look lovely in your pretty brown hair." He smiled sweetly as I returned the smile. I felt the flower and wondered what I looked like.

"Here." Colin led me over towards the small spring where I could see my reflection. It was shocking how much I looked like my mother, I knew at times it startled even my Uncle, who would occasionally call me by his deceased wife's name. My brown eyes were sparking and my light brown hair had grown long and was slightly curled at the ends. I often wore it down but whenever I would tend to the garden I'd often tie it up. Martha showed me how to do that, now I can even dress myself, though I still often have problems with strange buttons and lacing things. Corsets were not very comfortable but Mrs. Medlock insisted that I wear them, the only time I didn't have to wear it was when I went horseback riding and gardening. I even managed to wear a pair of riding pants that Dickon gifted me for my birthday. I was slender and thanks to the corset was well curved, but I didn't think much of my figure. Mrs. Medlock would often tell Martha to help me dress and Colin would often suggest certain styles and clothes he'd seen when out with his father. Dickon even recommended that I try and braid my hair in order to get it to look curlier; once he called me goddess and I blushed bright red, he's been quite sweet on me over the past few years.

"Here Mary, this is Todd." Dickon handed me a baby fox as I smiled from ear to ear.

"He's precious. Hello Todd, where are your parents?" I asked as Dickon's smile grew faint.

"He's like me isn't he, with no parents." I said in a somber tone as I petted Todd. He was quite tame and licked my fingers as I giggled.

"He's like the two of us." Dickon said as he knelt down beside me.

"Have you been looking after him Dickon?" I looked into his vivid blue eyes as his peachy freckled skin turned a light pink.

"Yes." He scratched the back of his head, roughing up his light brown hair.

"May I hold him?" Colin asked, he held out his light skinned white freckled hands, his pale blue eyes concentrated on my own eyes.

"Sure, just be careful." Dickon said in a gentle tone.

"Of course." Colin nodded, he somewhat snapped at Dickon but that was to be expected. He's been terribly jealous of Dickon lately, since he's been gone so often, he didn't like that Dickon and I had been spending a lot of time together. As I handed Todd over to Colin, he squirmed slightly but got used to his touch. We wound up running around with him as my Uncle had some afternoon tea with Ben.

**Narrator's POV:**

"They all grew up so fast." Lord Craven sighed as Ben agreed.

"It seems like it was just the other day when Mary first arrived here." Ben felt nostalgic.  
"Aye, she was such a stubborn child, but she's grown into such a kind and warm-hearted young lady." Martha wiped away a few tears as she noticed how Dickon and Colin were looking at Mary as a young lady; no longer a child.

"She's of marrying age now." Lord Craven stood as Ben and Martha watched him walk towards the swing where his beloved wife used to sit. He began to swing his legs as he looked out at the scene before him. He could see the love in Colin's eyes, and that of Dickon's eyes as well. The question would be, who would Mary accept as her suitor?

"Marriage, such a complicated thing." Ben shook his head as Martha sighed.

"I'd hoped by now that she'd fall in love with one of them, but she has a difficult decision. At least she has two men to choose from, girls like me would be lucky if one man would ask for her hand." Martha began to push the tea cart and walked back towards the manor, the new laborer Johnathan Smith caught up with her and held the door open for her.

"Martha, you're looking as lovely as ever." He observed her soft features.

"Good afternoon Johnathan, what are you up to now?" Martha asked teasingly as he laughed heartily.

"I'm just helping a young maiden get her chores done. How about I wash the dishes while you prepare the table for lunch?" He asked with a smile, his charismatic manner shone threw as she smirked.

"How about I wash the dishes and prepare the table while you finish your work out here? I don't want Mrs. Medlock getting vexed at me." Martha said the latter with a semi-nervous tone.

"You let her get to you too much, you should stand up to the old hag." Johnathan cupped Martha's face as she nearly stumbled forward.

"Worrying your pretty little head over her isn't worth your precious time." He was gazing into her warm brown eyes as she could feel him drawing closer.

"I-I must get back to work!" Martha ran off as Johnathan sighed and went back to fixing the horse stalls.

"Hmm, no one interested in girls like her hu? Phooey, there's a young man right there that's clearly interested. Ahh to be young again." Ben walked back towards his work as he remembered being a young man.


	3. Chapter 2: Business Trip

**Mary's POV:**

"Well, we're off now." My Uncle kissed me goodbye as he and Colin walked out the door, they were to be gone for the next few days as I sighed and walked off to meet with Dickon but was stopped by Mrs. Medlock.

"And where do you think you're going?" Her cold dull blue eyes stared down at me, her grey hair was pinned up, neat and tidy. She wore black a lot lately and was even stricter with me than when I was a child; she's especially cruel to me when my Uncle and cousin aren't home.

"I'm going out to see Dickon." I said in a commanding tone as she laughed.

"No you're not, I have some tasks for you." She grabbed my arm and pulled me into the attic and told me to clean and organize it. I tried to refuse but she pushed right passed me and walked out, I managed to do a decent job and ran to Dickon as I huffed and puffed.

"Where were you? I thought we were going to meet hours ago?" He looked a bit worried as I finally caught my breath.

"Mrs. Medlock, forced me to clean the attic." I sat down as he shook his head.

"I'm surprised you didn't manage to get out of it." He sat next to me as he took off his hat.

"She locked me in. Martha was the one to check on me and approved my work, letting me out." I groaned as he began to laugh.

"It's not funny! That old woman treats me horribly when my Uncle and Colin are gone." I crossed my arms as Dickon put his arms around me.

"I'm sorry, I just wish I could have been there to save you from the tower. But it seems my sister beat me to it." He began laughing again as I joined in, he always made every situation so light-hearted, fun and fancy free.

"I suppose it's knight Martha to the rescue." We continued laughing until I noticed Dickon's arms were still holding onto me.

"Dickon, you, you can let go." I blushed as I pulled away.

"Sorry Mary." He whispered as he slowly let go.

"It's fine, I forgive you." I looked away, feeling him draw nearer.

"Then can I hold you a little longer?" He whispered near my ear as I turned to look at him suddenly, our lips nearly touching.

"Let's, let's go to the garden!" I quickly stood up and ran off, holding the key near my heart. Even after I stopped running, my heart was still beating rapidly, what was causing this? Dickon and I tended to the garden and had a picnic, before I knew it, it was dusk.

"I'd better get back or Mrs. Medlock will have a fit." I stood up as Dickon followed me.

"Let's go horseback riding tomorrow." He took my hand as I pulled mine away.

"Fine." I nodded as he bid me goodnight; Martha helped me change as I told her all the events that took place.

"So I'm your knight am I?" She began laughing as I let out a giggle.

"Martha, why, why does Dickon want to be so close to me all the time? And he kept wanting to hold me, or my hand? And my heart was beating when our lips nearly touched. I ran away, but even after I had calmed down, my heart wouldn't stop beating rapidly." I looked troubled as Martha smiled warmly at me.

"Dickon's taking quite a liking to you miss, ever since you moved in here. He's fascinated by you, as to his feelings for you, that's something he'll have to tell you himself. And as far as your heart beating so fast, I think you've taken a liking to him too." She combed my hair as I yawned.

"But Colin will be furious." I said under my breath as Martha stopped.

"Do you care about what Sir Colin thinks about all this?" Martha asked as I thought about it.

"Well, yes. I hate it when they fight, and Colin gets so jealous." I crossed my arms.

"But do you care if Colin thinks you're sweet on Dickon?" She looked at my face as I froze.

"I, I don't know." I realized I'd never really thought about Colin in a romantic way, I mean we're cousins but yet he's changed so much (except for his slightly selfish, self-righteous, and jealous nature).

"You don't have to decide right now; you can still think about all this." Martha placed a hand on my shoulder as I nodded.

"I shall." I said in a serious tone.

"Well, good night miss." Martha blew out the light as I laid down.

"Good night Martha." I fell fast asleep, dreaming of myself dressed in an elegant gown, locked up in a dark tower with Mrs. Medlock dressed like a witch with a black cat and a black witch hat and a broomstick. She put a spell over the castle, poisoning Prince Colin so he was bed-ridden and Knight Dickon was riding on his white steed trying to find a way in. I looked out my window and managed to point Dickon towards the draw-bridge. I even managed to sneak out and give Colin the antidote, but I didn't really know who I wanted to save me. So the dream had two endings, one in which Colin slayed Mrs. Medlock and we were married and moved into his grand castle. The other was in which case Dickon saved me and we fled to his manor where there was a beautiful garden and many animals. I honestly enjoyed both endings and felt even more conflicted when I awoke the next morning. I was sure to get up extra early and headed for the stables where Dickon had our horses ready.

"You're up awfully early." Dickon smiled as I told him I was trying to avoid Mrs. Medlock.

"You slept with your hair in braids didn't you?" Dickon touched my curly hair as I blushed.

"Yes, Martha did them for me last night." I looked away as Dickon smiled warmly.

"It looks lovely." He kissed the ends of my hair as I gasped.

"We, we should get going." I jumped on my horse as we rode off into the moors. I felt as if I was flying when my horse galloped in the open fields, I turned to look at Dickon and noticed he looked rather majestic on his own horse, riding after me as I soon noticed that someone was calling my name.

"Martha?" I trotted over to her as she tried to catch her breath.

"M-Mrs., Mrs. Medlock is furious. Wants to know where you've gone off to and says she has loads of tasks for you. She wants you to help with laundry, the dishes, and polishing the silver." Martha looked weary as I grunted.

"I'm not her servant! She can't boss me around any longer!" I took the reigns and kicked with all my might as I went for the road, hoping to run as far away as I could. She could lock me out, kick me, and hit me but I refused to allow her to rule over my life. I had to tell my Uncle and Colin about all this nonsense, but what if she somehow manages to talk her way out of it again?

"Mary, Mary wait!" Dickon caught up with me and stopped my horse.

"Where on earth are you going?" He sounded upset.

"Anywhere but here. She suffocates me." I began to feel tears forming in my eyes.

"I know Mary, it's hard to stay here with her, but things could be so much worse. You're lucky to live in such a lovely home; I'm lucky if our roof doesn't leak and if I can manage to sleep with a blanket and some straw for a pillow." Dickon looked rather serious as I was beginning to catch on.

"I know I'm not rich, and I'll never be as rich as Lord Craven and Colin, but I have goals and dreams that I intend to reach. I'm going to buy me a sturdy house with a beautiful garden surrounding it, and I want lots of animals to inhabit it. I want stalls, a pond, and lots of pretty things for my wife and I don't intend to lose sight of that dream. Even though I could use the money for many other trinkets, I've decided to save it."

"So what's your point Dickon?" I looked rather puzzled, since he was taking this conversation to an entirely different direction than I thought.

"What's your dream Mary?" He looked passionately at me as I sat there and thought.

"Well, I know I don't want to live here forever, at least not if Mrs. Medlock is to remain here. But I do love how many rooms this manor has, and I love this garden; we've worked so hard on it." I sighed as I thought about how much I loved it here.

"I don't really know what I want to be, or who I want to marry, or where I want to live. But I just want to be happy, I've been through so many long and lonely years that I know I never want to be alone again. I want to come and visit Misselthwaite Manor and my family. That's all I know for now." I said as I turned around and headed for the stables.

"Good enough for me." Dickon followed after me as we unsaddled the horses and I snuck off to take a bath. I managed to lock myself in my room so that Mrs. Medlock couldn't come in and bother me. I hoped that Colin and my Uncle would return quickly the following day. I fell asleep again, but this time I had no elaborate dream about what I wanted my future to look like.


	4. CH 3: Return of Lord Craven & Sir Colin

**Narrator's POV:**

Early the next morning Mary found herself scrubbing the floor of her room as Martha got out her gardening clothes.

"It's such a shame that Mrs. Medlock insists on forcing you to do such labor." Martha sighed as she walked towards the window.

"Yes well, there's no stopping that madwoman." Mary rolled her eyes as she finally finished and walked towards Martha, she noticed Johnathan was outside walking around and her eyes were glued to him.

"Have you talked with him?" Mary asked as Martha suddenly turned towards her.

"Oh no miss, it's not my place to talk with him." She blushed and hurried out of the room, taking the bucket of dirty water out as Mary changed. She walked towards the garden and was sure to grab her gardening tools and began pulling weeds.

"So much work to be done." Mary wiped her brow as she heard a twig snap, she turned to see Dickon grinning.

"Let me give you a hand." He bent down and began helping her pull weeds.

"Ah." Mary lifted her finger and saw some blood as Dickon moved quickly and kissed it, drawing out the blood until it stopped.

"Here." He brought some water and a small piece of cloth, first washing her finger, then wrapping it.

"Thank you Dickon." Mary smiled at him as he smiled back.

"Why don't I go and ask Martha for some tea?" He stood as she nodded, she finished her gardening and washed off her hands and face. Dickon and Martha came back as she served them tea in the garden.

"Thank you Martha." Mary smiled as Dickon sat close to her.

"It's such a nice day." He stretched out as Martha agreed, suddenly hearing her name being called as she ran off, and into the arms of Johnathan.

"Hello there Martha." He smiled warmly as her cheeks reddened.

"I'm, I'm sorry Johnathan." She tried to pull away but he wouldn't let her go.

"Wait, I was the one that called you. I've been wanting to talk to you." He tried to look her in the eye as she flinched.

"W-what is it?" She asked as she shyly looked at him.

"Tonight, have dinner with me." Johnathan looked at her and spoke with a kind voice.

"I-I don't know if I can." Martha stuttered as she tried to pull away again.

"Martha, I won't bite, I promise." Johnathan brushed back some of her hair.

"I know that." Martha looked at him sternly as he laughed.

"Oh the timid little house-mouse is sticking up for herself now is she?" He laughed again as she furrowed her brows.

"I am not a house-mouse!" She napped as he laughed heartily again.

"Stop laughing at me." She pushed him as he stopped.

"I'm sorry, I'm not trying to laugh at you, you're just so funny. You make me smile, and I like that." He gently touched her cheek as her face turned tomato red.

"I'll think about dinner." She responded quickly as Johnathan perked up.

"Really? Great, meet me at my room around eight, I'll have everything ready. And wear whatever you like." He leaned in closer as she finally pulled away and Johnathan got the hint.

"I better get back to work then." He pulled away as Martha suddenly felt lonely when he walked away.

"I'll see you tonight!" She hollered out as he turned and waved.

"That tea was great, well I need to get to work." Dickon stood as Mary picked up the tea tray and walked with Dickon back towards the manor.

"Mary, let's meet tonight in the garden when everyone's asleep." Dickon spoke up.

"And why would we do that?" Mary asked confused.

"Wouldn't you like to see the garden with the stars out, and the moon. I bet all the night animals come out to play." He smiled brilliantly as Mary couldn't help but be curious.

"Sure, I'll meet you out here." Mary walked inside as Dickon waved goodbye as they went separate ways. For the rest of the day, Dickon couldn't stop thinking about his evening with Mary and what he had planned for that night.

As Mary went to her room, she managed to read a book while Mrs. Medlock was busy preparing for the arrival of Lord Craven and Sir Colin. As the day finally came to a close, and the sun sank beyond the moors, Mary put on her best dress and managed to quietly sneak out of the manor and headed for the Secret Garden, holding the key in her hand as she unlocked the door. She knew Dickon would be on his way soon so she hid behind a large tree as she giggled at the thought of scaring Dickon to half to death. She managed to get a good view at the night sky and held her breath as she saw the first star twinkling near the full moon. Suddenly she heard footsteps as she crouched down, taking a quick look as she saw Dickon enter the garden.

"Mary!" He whispered as he looked around, but not seeing any sign of her he stopped and smiled to himself.

"Playing hide and go seek are we?" Mary tried to contain her laughter as Dickon scratched his head. He began looking around as he drew closer and Mary took the opportunity to jump on him; but rather than landing on his chest, Dickon turned so that Mary wound up on top of him as they landed in the daisies.

"Boo!" She said rather loudly as Dickon blushed bright red, hiding any signs of freckles on his face. Their lips were so close, and Mary even found herself becoming a little embarrassed.

"I-I meant to scare you." Mary pulled away slightly as Dickon smiled.

"So I see." His eyes reflected the moonlight as Mary swallowed and sat up, still sitting on him.

"Well, I suppose we should go on the swing then?" She fiddled with her hair as Dickon chuckled.

"What?" She looked at him, clearly perplexed.

"You've got flowers in your hair." He sat up and began plucking out the daisies in her hair. There was a thumping in Mary's chest as Dickon's fingers gingerly touched her hair. Being ever so gentle as he pulled out the last flower, letting his fingers linger for a moment as they grazed her cheeks.

"There, but I must say you looked rather lovely with those flowers in your hair. Like a princess." He put his hand on the small of her back as Mary gasped. Suddenly Dickon had picked Mary up and carried her princess-style to the swing and gently placed her on the seat.

"There. May I?" He asked, indicating that he wanted to push her while she sat on the swing. Mary simply nodded her head as Dickon gave her a push, his hands were at about her waist as she felt herself blushing harder. But soon she was distracted by the scenery of the stars shining above her. She didn't feel it was nighttime at all, what with the moon gleaming as brightly as the sun. Mary felt her lips curve into a smile as she kicked her legs out. Dickon felt himself lost in the moment as he watched how Mary laughed; it had taken her so long to do so. After several more joyous filled moments, Mary insisted that she and Dickon switched as she struggled to push him a few feet off the ground. They began to laugh as Dickon put in extra effort to get himself off the ground.

"I see what you mean Mary, the night sky looks lovely." Dickon smiled brightly as Mary watched him.

"Oh, I need to rest, it was exhausting trying to get that hefty body of yours off the ground." Mary was about to sit as Dickon stopped himself.

"Sit here." He moved over and made room for her as Mary faced the opposite direction of him; hoping she wouldn't feel embarrassed around him anymore. But of course sometimes things don't always turn out the way you want them too. Rather than creating space, Mary was face-to-face with Dickon; she could see his flushed face clearly and assumed her cheeks were growing redder by the minute.

"Mary." Dickon whispered as he brought a finger up to brush against her lips, she parted them slightly as his thumb caressed her bottom lip.

"D-Dickon." She stuttered as he came closer.

"Please, stay still." He pleaded as she nodded her head, slowly closing her eyes as Dickon gazed at her face lovingly.

"I love you Mary." Dickon declared as Mary's eyes shot open, Dickon's gently pressed lips against her own as she froze. His lips felt so warm against hers, a tingling sensation erupted in her stomach as she closed her eyes and leaned into him, tilting her head as Dickon held her chin and slightly adjusted her face to his liking as Mary tried to speak. Then she felt his tongue stroking her lips as she let out a strange noise.

"What the bloody hell is going on here!" Sir Colin stormed in and pulled Dickon away from Mary as he began fighting Dickon.

"Colin stop!" Mary shouted as she tried to get near them.

"Mary, stay where you are. Colin, stop acting like a child." Dickon's tone was tranquil as he tried to get Sir Colin to calm down.

"How dare you do such a thing to Mary! That was her first kiss, she'll never get it back!" Sir Colin's expression was pained as Dickon felt slightly guilty, but knew what Sir Colin was trying to do.

"If she didn't want me to kiss her she could have stopped me." Dickon's eyebrows furrowed.

"NO!" Sir Colin began to hit harder.

"Colin, please! Dickon didn't do anything wrong!" Mary began growing sorrowful rather than angry.

"Damn you Dickon! If it wasn't for you, Mary would be mine!" Sir Colin began feeling all his anger come through in his punches.

"Colin, knock it off. Mary doesn't belong to anyone, it's her choice, she can figure out who she's in love with on her own." Dickon pushed Sir Colin back, but he was relentless.

"Dickon!" Sir Colin took aim for Dickon's face as he blocked the punch and took a deep breath.

"This is your last chance Colin, stop this or I'll have to." Dickon's voice was low and threatening as Sir Colin shouted curses at Dickon. Then Dickon's defenses were down just as Sir Colin knocked the wind out of Dickon; after regaining composure, Dickon looked up at Sir Colin.

"Well are you going to let me beat you like a sissy or actually fight me for Mary's affection?" Sir Colin took a fighting stance as Dickon gritted his teeth.

"That's it!" Dickon rushed at Sir Colin as the two quarreled.

"You two are acting like children! I hate you!" Mary ran off towards the moors as the two continued to brawl.

"Where on earth is Mary?" Martha looked around as she held herself and shivered.

"Martha, is that you?" Johnathan held up a lantern to her face as she nodded.

"I'm looking for Mary. I went to check on her and noticed her bed was empty. Dickon isn't home either and Lord Craven and Sir Colin have returned." Martha sounded worried as Johnathan opened his mouth to speak until they heard loud shouting and cursing.

"What's that?" Martha looked over towards the Secret Garden as she suddenly felt warmth engulf her once shivering body. She turned and saw Johnathan's coat draped over her shoulders.

"Keep it on, it's cold out." He smiled as she simply nodded, knowing once Johnathan made up his mind, there was no going back.

"I'm going to go see what that is." He began to walk away as Martha caught up with him.

"I'm going too, Mary and Dickon might be over there." Martha kept up with his pace.

"Is there something going on between those two? I've heard several rumors about that girl." He raised an eyebrow as Martha smiled.

"Perhaps, but that's between them."

"And what about that Colin fellow? Isn't he in love with her? Even though they're cousins?"

"Well, it's all a little confusing right now, but I'm sure Mary knows the answer." Martha gazed up at him; his icy blue eyes were reflecting off of the moon's light, his blond hair shimmering as she blushed.

"What's with that face?" He asked as he neared her.

"N-nothing, we'd better hurry." Martha walked faster as he caught up with her. They found Dickon and Colin fighting, Johnathan managed to get the two of them to stop, and found out what happened.

"Oh poor Mary." Martha felt saddened at how upset she must have become.

"Now the both of you go to my place and get cleaned up. Dickon you could get fired for this, and Colin, I'm sure Mrs. Medlock will restrict you to your bed again if you don't get yourself looking normal again. Martha and I will find Mary and bring her inside and I'll explain things to Mrs. Medlock." They both nodded as Johnathan took Martha's hand and began searching for Mary.

"The moors!" Mary said as Johnathan turned to look at her.

"What?" He was confused.

"She always goes there when she feels like escaping." Martha began leading him as he followed her, still holding onto her hand. When they reached Mary, she was shivering and full of mud; Martha took her inside and gave her a hot bath as Johnathan said Sir Colin had gone off on business for a couple of days which wasn't all a lie. After recovering the following morning, Sir Colin had gone off with his father on a week long business trip.


	5. Chapter 4: Boarding School

**Narrator's POV:**

"Mary it's time to get up." Martha walked in as Mary cracked open one of her swollen red eyes.

"I really don't want to today Martha." Mary sniffed as Martha walked closer to the bed.

"Not feeling well huh? I'll tell Mrs. Medlock that you need some rest. I'm sure she even has enough heart to leave you be. I'll bring you some warm porridge, how does that sound?" Martha smiled warmly as Mary nodded her head.

"Thank you Martha." Mary blew her nose as Martha went out the door and closed it. Mary drifted off to sleep again; time had gone by and she'd eaten her breakfast and sat up in bed reading a book. She looked out the window and saw the clouds forming a gray blanket across the afternoon sky. She closed her eyes and heard the raindrops hitting her window as she sighed.

"It's so ironic that it had to rain today." Mary continued to read her book as she suddenly heard a knock at the door.

"May I come in?" It was Dickon at the other side of the door as Mary cleared her throat.

"Yes." She recalled the events of the previous night as she tried to make herself look presentable. Dickon walked in with a black eye and a bouquet of flowers.

"Mary, I've come to beg your forgiveness. It was foolish of me to get into that fight, and I acted selfishly and . . . and-"

"I forgive you." Mary smiled meekly at him.

"You do?" Dickon was clearly shocked.

"Colin shouldn't have said or done any of that last night, but you should have had more self control. No one's perfect and I understand that, I just feel torn and last night didn't help things. The problem is that I love both of you dearly. I've never had a family or friends care for me so deeply before, I'm touched by all this but I really hate it at the same time. It's conflicting, like a part of me wants all this fighting to end but at the same time, I love spending time with both of you . . . which makes me selfish too." Mary sighed as Dickon brought her the flowers, letting her smell them as she outstretched her hand to touch his cheek.

"Your eye looks terrible." Mary frowned.

"You should see Colin; I'm surprised Mrs. Medlock let him go on that business trip with Lord Craven."

"What!?" Mary jumped out of bed, going for the door.

"I wouldn't if I were you, Mrs. Medlock is furious at you and if she finds out that you're not as sick as you say . . . well I'm sure things wouldn't go well." Dickon held onto her arm as she turned towards him and ran into his arms.

"Mary?" Dickon looked down at her, she was burying her face in his chest, he began to pet her head.  
"I want to go to the garden." She said in a low murmur as Dickon nodded.

"Alright, but you'll have to change." Dickon stepped away and looked out the window, making sure not to turn around until she told him to. They managed to sneak out as Mary unlocked the door.

"Mary, I'm a little worried about you. Martha told me that Mrs. Medlock doesn't want you being able to come here, and she hates that she can't come in here."

"Then I'll have to hide the key somewhere safe." Mary took out the key and handed it to Dickon.

"You want me to keep it safe?" He was clearly confused.

"I trust you and I don't think Medlock will realize it. Will you promise to take care of my treasure?" Mary gazed at Dickon's face as he nodded, holding the key to his heart.

"I swear no one will find this key." He kissed her forehead as Mary blushed.

"You missed." Mary pointed to her lips as Dickon's eyes grew large as he neared her face and kissed her lips, gentle at first until she led him on, holding onto his neck as he deepened the kiss. They stayed together for a while until it began to grow dark.

"Goodnight Dickon." Mary kissed Dickon goodnight as he held her close.

"Goodnight Mary. I love you, my princess." Dickon's lips were over her ear as his breath touched her skin, causing her to shiver.

"Oh Dickon." She kissed his neck, feeling guilty over her feelings.

"I'll see you tomorrow." He pulled away as she nodded.

"Mrs. Medlock is taking us shopping?" Mary looked at Martha, shocked and surprised.

"Yes, I thought it was rather strange too, but she intends to buy us something." Martha beamed.

"Hmm, I suppose people do change." Mary thought about it and did want to buy a sunhat. Thus they were on their way, the carriage ride seemed to last forever until they finally arrived in a small town.

"Martha, be a dear and find Mary a lovely sunhat, and I could use some lace gloves." Mrs. Medlock smiled as Martha nodded her head and went off, Mary turned to look at Mrs. Medlock who shut the door and ordered the driver to continue on.

"Where are we going?" Mary looked across to see Mrs. Medlock smiling grimly.

"You're going to get yourself a fine education at an all girls' boarding school. By which Lord Craven will pay your way and I'll be sure to tend to that garden of yours. Now, where's that key?" Mrs. Medlock's voice was menacing, causing Mary to slightly draw back.

"I shall never tell!" Mary held her ground as Mrs. Medlock gritted her teeth.

"Well then, I suppose that garden of yours will just have to die." She said in a sharp tone as Mary grew furious.

"Dickon would never let that happen!" Suddenly Mary's eyes widened as Mrs. Medlock grinned in conquest.

"So it's with that stable boy is it?" The carriage suddenly stopped as Mrs. Medlock dragged Mary out and shoved her towards the school.

"Ah Mrs. Medlock, and this must be Mary I presume?"

"Elisa, wonderful to see you. I'm sure you are aware of our circumstances?" Mrs. Medlock handed the woman a rather large bag that jingled with each movement.

"Why of course, Mary I'm sure you'll do your very best here and will get along with the other girls. Now let's get you changed and off to bed." Elisa seemed like a kind woman, but it was clear that she had no intention of allowing Mary to explain that she was brought here against her will. Mary simply walked on, not knowing what to expect from this school, but she would soon devise a plan to escape. She had to be able to visit her garden, and she couldn't bare to be away from Dickon, Martha, Sir Colin, and Lord Craven.

"Mrs. Medlock, where's Mary?" Martha got in the carriage with a hat box and a small box with the gifts requested by her.

"She's going to the prestigious Lady Elisa's Boarding School for Girls. I presume we can keep this little secret between the two of us now can't we?" Mrs. Medlock looked at Martha with a vicious gaze as she nodded her head. Once they arrived back at the manor, Martha noticed Dickon was holding a bouquet of flowers; she felt her stomach drop as she looked away.

"I'll be heading to bed now Martha, make sure everything is put away and the house is clean before you retire. And Martha, don't forget to keep quiet." Mrs. Medlock walked towards her room as Martha began to feel herself shaking. She put everything away and began cleaning up the kitchen, only to drop one of the plates; she began to pick up the pieces as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"What's this? Need some help?" Johnathan approached her as she suddenly looked up at him.

"Martha, what's wrong?" He cupped her face as she began to shake her head.

"Nothing." She continued picking up the small shards of the plate as Johnathan looked at her with concern.

"I don't suppose it has anything to do with this plate? We could go into town and buy another one before Mrs. Medlock realizes what happened." He got the broom and dust pan as he swept up the small remnants of the plate.

"No, I'm not upset about that, but-" she took out her handkerchief and began drying her eyes as he walked over toward her.

"You know you can trust me and you know I'm your friend and I can't stand to see you like this." He tried to capture her gaze as she looked at the floor and back at him, biting her bottom lip as she grabbed his hand and ran off to his room. He simply followed her quietly and waited till they were on the other side of the door.

"Mrs. Medlock took Mary and I out shopping but she wound up taking Mary to an all girls' boarding school far away from here. It took us nearly the whole the day to get there by carriage. Mrs. Medlock said I couldn't tell anyone, but I can't let this happen to my best friend and I know I should have suspected something but I convinced Mary that everything was all right." Martha began weeping as Johnathan held her in his arms.

"We'll figure this out, we'll get Mary back." His voice was soothing and his touch gentle.

"How can we do that without Mrs. Medlock knowing we're gone?" Martha squeezed him tightly as he felt a slight blush appear on his cheeks.

"Dickon, we have to tell your brother." Johnathan said in a stern tone.

"Dickon, Dickon!" Mary pulled away and took off towards home.

"That witch!" Dickon shot up out of his chair and began packing his things.

"Dickon, it will take you a while to get there, let me get you some food ready and you can leave in the morning." Martha was pleading as Dickon scoffed.

"I guess it won't do me any good to leave this late at night. But I leave before dusk tomorrow." He looked at her firmly as she nodded her head.

Before the sun rose Dickon was on his horse riding towards the love of his life. It would take nearly three days to reach his destination and be back before Mrs. Medlock realized he was missing. Meanwhile Mary was staring out her window, when suddenly a wooden ruler was smacked down on her desk.

"Miss Mary, it seems you're daydreaming again. Repeat what I just instructed to the class." Mary's teacher said in a stern tone as Mary felt her hands shaking.

"I, I wasn't paying attention." Mary knew what was to come next as she was ordered to stand at the front of the class as the stinging pain of the wooden stick as she flinched with each lashing. She often found herself thinking of Dickon, Sir Colin, Martha, Lord Craven, and her Secret Garden. As the day turned to night, she was laying in bed, thinking again how she'd escape. She knew rounds of surveillance, she had less than ten minutes to sneak out of her room via the window and making a run for the woods which were about a mile out of town.

"It has to be soon." Mary waited patiently as she heard the two monitors switching positions as she took her bag of the few things she brought with her and acquired (some food included) as she used her sheets as a rope. She ran into the woods, managing to find some cover, thankful for being able to start a fire, being sure to stay away from the school.

"What I wouldn't give for Dickon's coat or his arms around me." Mary sighed as she took out a piece of bread and took a small bite. She gathered her bag and used a small blanket she took in order to keep warm as she fell asleep, awaking the next morning to see a familiar face.

"Dickon?" Mary blinked her eyes, realizing she had been imagining things as she shook her head and rubbed her eyes.

"I hate it when my eyes play tricks on me." Mary huffed as she got up and began walking towards town, thankful to overhear a conversation from a few of the girls. She began humming to herself, until she thought that Mrs. Medlock would just send her back.

"I have to talk with Colin and my Uncle, surly they'd fire Medlock if they knew what she did to me when they're gone. But Dickon, I wonder what he's doing or if he knows where I am? Hopefully Martha was able to say something." Mary's thoughts wondered as she walked faster until she needed to rest, finding a stream where she drank water, washed her face and found some edible fruits and nuts. She continued walking, then she began to hear noises, she turned around but not seeing anyone. She turned in the direction of town and walked on, only to hear clacking becoming loud thumps as she jumped out of the way of a galloping horse.

"Watch it!" Mary shouted, hoping the rider of the horse heard her.

"I'm sorry!" The rider shouted back as she recognized the voice.

"Dickon!?" Mary shouted, turning around and beginning to run towards the rider.

"Mary?" Dickon turned his horse around and jumped off when he saw her, picking her up and spinning her around. He began kissing her passionately as she smiled.

"I'm so relieved to see you." She smiled as he began laughing.

"How did you manage to escape?" He asked as she began giggling.

"I simply went out my window when they weren't paying attention." She shrugged as he held her.

"Let's go." He held out his hand as she nodded her head, jumping on his horse as they rode on, finding some shelter for the night.

"Oh Johnathan, I wish I would have said something sooner." Martha paced back and forth as he kept his eyes on her, wishing she'd sit down.

"Martha, they'll be fine. I'm sure they'll be home soon." He tried to stand in her way as she was forced to look at his handsome face.

"I just, I just wish I was more like Mary, unafraid to say how I feel and to speak up." Martha felt her heart sink.

"You are brave; you were very brave to tell me what happened to Mary. You're very brave to deal with the situation at hand and not lose your cool. You were brave to put up with that hag Medlock." Johnathan cupped her face as her brown eyes met his blue ones.

"Martha, there's something I've been meaning to say, I just haven't been brave enough to say it. I was honestly hoping you'd figure out my feelings for you on your own, but it seems you need a little push. I don't see you as a fellow coworker, I see you as a woman, a woman I care deeply for. Martha, I'm in love with you." Johnathan felt his stomach drop as Martha silently gazed at him, searching his eyes for sincerity as he blushed, his heart beating like a loud drum as he awaited her answer.

"Oh Johnathan." She turned away blushing as she felt herself smiling.

"I can't believe someone like you would love someone like me." She said as she looked back at him.

"And why wouldn't I? You're kind, smart, beautiful, loving, and simply my perfect match." He kissed her as her face turned bright red; she sat there shocked as he chuckled softly.

"So, do you love me too?" He asked as she began nodding her head.

"I do." She felt a bit self conscious as he took her up into his arms.

"Will you marry me?" He whispered in her ear as she looked at him, stunned.

"I, I will." She nodded her head again as he kissed her more passionately as he took out a ring that had been passed onto him by his mother.

"It's a lovely ring." She smiled as he kissed her again.

"Fit for a lovely bride to be."


	6. Chapter 5: The Return (Final)

**Narrator's POV:**

The next three days proved to be hectic, what with Mrs. Medlock searching every inch of the house to find the key to the Secret Garden, Martha walking up in Johnathan's arms once again, Mary and Dickon waking up in a small cave needing to get back to the Misselthwaite Manor, and Lord Craven and Lord Colin on their way back from their business trip.

"Martha! Where is that girl! Never where I need her. You, get the washing done until Martha returns then let me know immediately." Mrs. Medlock snapped at the next closest maid to her as she continued running around to try and think where Mary and Dickon would have hidden the key.

Meanwhile, Martha felt something stir under her.

"Hmm." She slowly began to open her eyes and began blinking as she saw Johnathan sleeping soundly. She attempted to get up, but his grip was tight on her as she began giggling.

"Johnathan, I have to get to work, and so do you."

"Hmm, just a few more minutes." He grumbled as she sighed.

"Fine, just a few more minutes then." Martha closed her eyes again as she snuggled against him.

"Father, Father, wake up. We're home." Sir Colin shook Lord Craven as he cracked his eyes open; eager to crawl into bed and sleep for a fortnight.

"So we are. Hmm yes, well since our business trip went so well; I suppose we can finally get a good night's rest." Lord Craven said so eagerly as Sir Colin simply nodded, having mixed feelings after his last conversation with Mary. The carriage stopped in front of the manner as the two men got off, Sir Colin determined to find Mary first and apologize.

"Lord Craven, Sir Colin; welcome home." Mrs. Medlock was the first to greet the two gentleman; which was normal, however, she seemed a bit more frazzled than usual.

"Yes thank you Mrs. Medlock. Are- are you feeling alright?" Lord Craven asked out of pure concern, though she somewhat flinched as she tried to straighten out her hair.

"Oh yes, everything is fine, thank you for your concern." Mrs. Medlock nodded.

"Of course. Well, I'll be heading to bed, I need to get my rest. I'll take my tea in two hours, be sure to wake me then Mrs. Medlock." Lord Craven walked past her and up towards his bedroom.

"Yes Lord Craven." Mrs. Medlock began to follow him.

"Mrs. Medlock, have, have you seen Mary?" Sir Colin asked as Mrs. Medlock froze, slowly turning towards him.

"Well as a matter of fact, there is some news as far as Mary's whereabouts." Mrs. Medlock started her sentence slowly; thinking of the best way to tell him.

"Yes." Sir Colin stepped closer to Mrs. Medlock, clearly eager to hear her answer.

"Mary currently is no longer living at Misselthwaite Manor." Mrs. Medlock stated flatly as Sir Colin felt his heart stop.

"What do you mean she is no longer living here!?" Sir Colin felt his temper vastly rise as Mrs. Medlock kept calm.

"She has decided to attend Lady Elisa's Boarding School for Girls in a quaint little town. It's quite a distance from here but she was adamant about doing so and wanted to start her education as soon as possible. Thus I delivered her several days ago." Mrs. Medlock stood there quietly, trying to look a tad bit despondent to see Mary go.

"And Dickon allowed this? And Martha?" Sir Colin was in complete disarray.

"Martha accompanied me as well as Mary; ask her yourself, as for Mr. Sowerby, he went to look for a second job since the Sowerby family has had financial troubles as of late." Mrs. Medlock was managing to maneuver herself around every question without causing any form of suspicion.

"I see, well then I'm going to find Martha, then I'm going to speak to my father about all this." Sir Colin tried calming himself, seeing Mrs. Medlock was not going to provide any further information.

"Of course Sir Colin, but I do recommend allowing Lord Craven some time to rest. You should do the same, it seems you're quite exhausted from your trip and as the successor to Lord Craven's trade, you must be sure to be in excellent health."

"I'm a grown man Mrs. Medlock, I shall rest when I decide to do so. Thank you for your concern, you may go about your business." Sir Colin was short with her as he glared at Mrs. Medlock and went in the direction of his study.

"Yes Sir Colin, thank you." Mrs. Medlock bowed her head and went back to searching for the key.

"I can't believe I'm so late!" Martha ran toward the kitchen, expecting to hear Mrs. Medlock's threats, but was surprised to find her nowhere to be found.

"Strange." Martha heard Lord Craven's bedchamber bell ring as she immediately began making afternoon tea.

"What's so strange." There was a deep sultry voice along with strong arms around her waist as Martha blushed.  
"Johnathan, not now. You already made me late and now I'm behind on my work." She gingerly elbowed him as he sighed.

"Fine, but next time don't squeeze me so tightly when you sleep, otherwise I'll never let go." He kissed her quickly and ran out of the kitchen before she threw a plate at him out of embarrassment.

"Oh!" She groaned as the bell rang again, only this time it was from Sir Colin's study.

"I'll never get anything done." Martha sighed as she went to find another maid to attend to Lord Craven as she went to Sir Colin's study.

"You rang Sir Colin?" Martha gave a small curtsy as Sir Colin turned from the window to look at her.

"Yes. I was told by Mrs. Medlock that Mary went to attend some boarding school and Dickon went to get a second job, is this true?" Sir Colin was clearly flustered and hadn't seemed to have slept much. He had dark circles under his eyes and his skin was pasty white.

"Well what Mrs. Medlock said wasn't entirely false, but also not entirely true." Martha stated the former in a rather timid tone, until she recalled what Johnathan had told her.

"I'm not quite sure what it is you're trying to hide, but I beg of you to enlighten me. Did Mary _want _to attend an elite boarding school and did Dickon _need _to get another job?" Sir Colin was pleading with Martha.

"No sir, Mary did not want to attend Lady Elisa's Boarding School for Girls and Dickon didn't go out to look for another job; he went after Mary."

"So Mrs. Medlock forced Mary out of Misselthwaite Manor and she doesn't know Dickon went after Mary?"

"Yes sir, I told Dickon what happened. I assume she told you Dickon went to get another job as to affirm that Mary was no longer here. Sir, that Mrs. Medlock, she's been awfully deceiving as of late. And this afternoon, I'm ashamed to say, I was late upon arrival and didn't find Mrs. Medlock present in the kitchen as she usually is at tea time. I was expecting a fierce lashing for being late for work, but she was nowhere to be found."

"Hmm, we must alert my father at once and go find Mary and Dickon." Sir Colin seemed to have regained some color as Martha nodded, the two of them rushing to Lord Craven's bedchamber. All three were headed toward the stable in order to get a horse; Martha waved them off as Johnathan approached her, asking what was going on.

"They're going to find Mary and Dickon, they've been gone for nearly over a week now and it's going to rain soon. I'm terribly worried that they may have gotten lost."

"Well let's hope they find them quickly." Johnathan held her as Martha closed her eyes and prayed that time was on their side.

"Father, you should go easy, your health may be at stake." Sir Colin hollered at Lord Craven; whom he tried to convince to stay behind.

"Nonsense, I refuse to allow you to go alone. Tis nearly twilight, and the rain is nearly upon us." Lord Craven pushed his horse forward as Sir Colin yelled at his father to stop, the two stood still as Sir Colin pointed towards the Moors.

"It's Mary, and Dickon!" Martha exclaimed as she jumped for joy.

"Dickon, I do believe that is my uncle and cousin." Mary leaned back as Dickon kissed her brow.

"Seems like it." He felt completely exhausted; riding for hours on end in order to make it back before the rain.

"I'm so tired." Mary yawned as Dickon nodded.

"Me too love; soon we'll rest, but first I must take care of something." A glimmer of determination ignited as Mary simply sighed.

"I know what you mean."

"Mary! Dickon!" Sir Colin waved as he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Colin!" Mary smiled and waved at him as their horses approached one another.

"Thank God you're alright! What happened? Martha said Mrs. Medlock sent you off to some prestigious boarding school." Sir Colin raised an eyebrow as the rode the horses to the stables.

"Yes, well I was under the impression that we were going shopping, until Mrs. Medlock left me at the mercy of Lady Elisa." Mary said so in a downtrodden tone as Dickon helped her down and took the horse to have a drink and something to eat.

"Hmm, well that explains how she managed to get you away from Misselthwaite Manor and your Secret Garden." Sir Colin dismounted and put his horse back in his stall, food and water waiting for him. Lord Craven had finally made it to the stalls where he too put his horse back up as he ran to Mary and embraced her, along with thanking Dickon.

"Dickon, if there is anyway I can repay you." Lord Craven shook Dickon's hand as he blushed.

"Well sir, there is one thing." Dickon took Mary's hand; they gazed into each other's eyes and Lord Craven smiled.

"I bless this union; though I wish for the two of you to ask for one more blessing." Lord Craven looked to Sir Colin.

"If you excuse me, there is something I need to take care of." Lord Craven bowed his head as he walked back into the manor.

"Colin-" Before Mary could finish, Sir Colin was hugging her and begging her for forgiveness and that of Dickon's.

"Colin, of course we forgive you! We shouldn't have fought for Mary like a trophy, and we both know the only one who will have the final say is Mary, but we should give her a chance to clarify her thoughts." Dickon looked to Mary as she took in a deep breath.

"Colin, I'm so sorry for running off like a child. And I am flattered by your affections for me, but I love Dickon. He, he asked me to marry him and I said yes. I'm so sorry, but we'll always have our childhood together and we'll always have the Secret Garden. We're family Colin, that's what we were born to be, and families love each other through and through. Please understand that I didn't want anyone to get hurt, and I know you'll find a lovely young woman that would be happy to be your wife and inherit Misselthwaite Manor." Mary held Colin's hand as he noticed her ring, but to Mary's surprise, she noticed a ring on his finger.

"Colin, did you, did you get married?" Mary was so surprised and yet felt a small flicker of excitement.

"I did, I met a young lady who owns her own trading company overseas as well as a few shops in town. We began conversing and had a lot in common." Sir Colin was blushing as he smiled.

"That was rather fast." Dickon put his arm around Mary as Sir Colin smiled.

"Sometimes love seems to stumble upon us." Sir Colin laughed upon recalling the first impression of his wife, a callous woman with no head for business.

"Indeed it does." Dickon kissed Mary's forehead as they all laughed.

"Well, if you excuse us, we're quite late for tea and I have a few choice words for Mrs. Medlock." Dickon gritted his teeth as Mary made a stern face. They all went into the house, Mary and Dickon has a glass of water and a tea cake before searching for Mrs. Medlock. Suddenly Martha came rushing in.

"Mary! Dickon!" Martha hugged them both as Mary showed her the ring.

"Oh congratulations! Ah, well Dickon, there are few things we need to talk about-" Martha was cut off suddenly.

"Dickon! Johnathan Smith." Johnathan put a hand out as Dickon shook it.

"So nice to finally put a name to a face." Dickon smiled as he looked at his sister.

"Dickon, we, we're engaged." Martha blurted out as Dickon smiled.

"With your permission of course." Johnathan winked at Dickon as Mary giggled.

"Congratulations Martha." Mary was the first to congratulate her as they all had a short celebration before hearing loud voices coming from the floor above them.

"Something tells me there won't be much more to to about Mrs. Medlock." Sir Colin grinned as Dickon led the way towards the voices echoing down the halls.

"Dismissed! Me dismissed after helping to raise your son, after taking care of your home, after everything we've been through together." Mrs. Medlock slowly approached Lord Craven as he snarled.

"You didn't raise my son, you crippled him, and as for the house you've simply made it a place of sorrow, a destitution of hope, peace and love; you've treated the servants like animals, and you shipped my only niece off to a boarding school without her permission. You must think me insane to keep you here after all the misfortune you've caused me and my family." Lord Craven never looked so terrifying; his eyes ablaze, his face full of color and emotion. This was the first time Mrs. Medlock felt powerless.

"I, I have no place to go." She shrank into herself as Lord Craven sighed.

"You're honestly lucky I didn't relocate you to an asylum at this point. Have your bags packed, you leave at dawn." Lord Craven dismissed her as Mrs. Medlock knew there was no way of talking him out of it. Dickon and the others saw Mrs. Medlock head to her room; Lord Craven requested to speak with Martha and Sir Colin began writing a letter to his wife who was to sail back to England after her next business trip and there were two important weddings to plan.

A month passed quickly as Martha was put in charge of Misselthwaite Manor, along with Johnathan attending to the Secret Garden as well as the rest of the grounds, since Ben had decided to retire and see the world with his life's savings. Sir Colin agreed to go on a business trip with his wife overseas, Lord Craven had decided to give Sir Colin his inheritance early and retire as well, enjoying his tea in the garden as well as taking up gardening as a relaxing hobby. Martha and Johnathan were expecting their firstborn and thus were constantly kept busy. As for Dickon and Mary they were married shortly after Martha and Johnathan and decided to reside in a small cottage on the other side of town near the woods and started a garden of their own.

The End


End file.
